Clinician Corner: Meet Erica Picon, LCSW

Iris clinicians are at the heart of what makes our organization such a special place to work. That’s why we’re turning the spotlight on the amazing work they’re doing every day. This month, we’re sitting down to talk with Erica Picon, an LCSW practicing in California.

Q. How did you find Iris and decide you wanted to be an Iris provider?

A: I found Iris on Indeed. I knew I wanted to switch to telehealth, so I applied to a bunch of different positions. But, what made the difference for me with Iris, was the interview process. Initially, I applied for a job in New York, but it wasn’t the right opportunity at the time, so I wasn’t willing to make the switch. The person I interviewed with kept my resume and asked if I’d like to be considered if anything in another state popped up. I said, “yes,” but didn’t think anyone would actually reach out again because there were so many applicants, but they followed up.

The fact that they remembered me, cared, and wanted to see if there was a way to make it work, shows the dedication of Iris overall. That was pretty much the determining factor for me.

Q. What does a typical day as an Iris Telehealth provider look like for you?

A: I work in an outpatient behavioral health setting with adult clients with severe mental illness and functional impairments. When I’m doing my client sessions and my documentation, I make my own schedule. There are a few meetings I have with people on-site, including regular meetings with our supervisor, meetings with the whole clinical team, and any necessary discussions around clients who need higher care or more attention.Otherwise, I can structure my time how I want to between meeting with clients, checking in with collaterals, case managers, and prescribers, and whenever I want to get the documentation in. I like that I get to determine how my day flows.

Q. How do you foster connection with patients virtually?

A: That was tough at first because it was my first time doing any type of telehealth. I really lean into acknowledging the telehealth piece with the client. Especially if they’ve opted for a phone session instead of Zoom, I’ll say, “I know this could be a little awkward. There might be a moment when it sounds silent. If that happens, I don’t want you to think that the call was lost or I’m not here.” I’ll let them know that sometimes I’m taking a second to think about how I want to respond, or I’m making a note of what they said because I know I want to circle back. I think it’s important to acknowledge those little pieces.

Then, I let them know the benefits of telehealth, too. If it is a tough topic we’re discussing, it’s good to say, “you know you’re essentially in your safe space right now where you feel the most comfortable, so let’s make that even more comfortable for you. What’s going to make you feel as good as possible while we dive into this?” Whether it means lighting a candle, getting a cup of tea ready, or getting their favorite blanket. Whatever it is, I recommend using that piece in the therapeutic process.

Q. As a healthcare professional, how do you manage work-life balance?

A: Work-life balance is something I struggled with before taking this job. That was important to me, and I think that is what made me want to switch to telehealth. I am very conscientious about shutting down my computer at the end of the day. I don’t leave it open. I want to ensure it feels like a separate work space and living space. I don’t have any notifications on my phone. I don’t check emails or have Microsoft Teams on my phone. When it’s my lunchtime, I make sure I walk away from the computer, go to a different room to eat, or go outside for a walk. I find those opportunities throughout the day to take a little break and make sure I do that.

At the end of the day, I’m making sure there’s no chance that something will pop up where it pulls me back in. It’s also helpful that the site I’m at has a crisis line. That resource put me at ease, knowing my clients can still access help if they need to, but it won’t be me at that time. We have that conversation with clients – so, they’re aware of that, which is helpful too.

Q. What are your biggest learnings from your time at Iris?

A: This learning is very specific to the structure of Iris. While you work for Iris, you’re also placed at another healthcare organization. When I was applying for other telehealth jobs, you only worked for them. I wondered if working for Iris and a clinic would create any friction, or if there would be different expectations.

However, I found that it’s very cohesive, and I like that a lot. Everyone seems like they’re on the same page and I feel supported on both ends. I know Iris talks to my site and talks to me. We all talk to one another, and it feels like a cohesive team, which has been huge.

Q. What is the most rewarding part of your job?

A: Client care. We’re not getting into this field unless it’s rewarding. Separate from that, it’s feeling appreciated and valued as an employee. Iris and my site have both been great. The check-ins aren’t just reviewing what needs to be worked on, but a lot of the check-ins are letting you know you’re doing great or sharing positive feedback. You know you’re doing good, and you hear that from someone. Iris views its employees, at least in my experience so far, as human beings, too. They want people to feel happy here.

Q. What do you love about working with Iris?

A: There’s a really good balance between feeling independent but also supported. So you don’t at all feel micromanaged. You’re a clinician, and you know what you’re doing. No one makes you feel like they are checking in on you every second, but you never feel alone. You still feel like you know who to reach out to, and anytime I have reached out to someone, they’re very responsive and helpful. If I don’t know who to reach out to, I’ve reached out to anyone I’ve come across at Iris and been like, “you might not be the right person, but would you be able to direct me to who I should talk to?” Everyone has always responded and has either cc’d who I should speak to or helped me look into it.

Q. Why do you think telepsychiatry is important to the future of mental healthcare?

A: Telepsychiatry puts people in their safe spaces when discussing tough topics. There can be many situations where people might not have received the help they needed because of their diagnosis or the severity of their symptoms. For example, for someone with agoraphobia who can’t really leave their house, it’s going to be hard for them to go into an office to see their provider. Or if there’s someone who can leave their home but they have a flare-up that day. Their anxiety or PTSD is triggered, and it’s hard to go into the office for their appointment. With telepsychiatry, you’re making it more accessible for them to still get help, especially when they’re struggling, and maybe they would have canceled an appointment because they’re not feeling up to it. But with telepsychiatry, they can still have that appointment, and they can have it when they need it.

At Iris, we believe our providers should be respected, valued, and applauded for the work they do, and we couldn’t be more proud to say, “thank you” to our very own Erica Picon. If you’d like to learn more about working for Iris Telehealth, contact us today.

How Telehealth Promotes Top of License Work

As a mental health professional, helping patients get the care they need is essential to your work. However, for clinicians living in states with greater barriers to practice, connecting patients with the right resources and care isn’t always possible. Whether you’re bogged down with administrative tasks, restricted by red tape, or frustrated with access issues, you may feel the strain of not being able to practice at the top of your license.

Thankfully, telehealth makes it easier for patients and providers to connect, regardless of geographical and regulatory barriers. This level of access allows patients to get the best care possible and enables providers to practice at the top of their licenses.

Keep reading to learn more about the challenges of working in restrictive states and how telemental health can help you operate at the top of your license.

Top challenges for providers working in restricted states

So, what challenges might you encounter if you’re a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) practicing on-site in a restrictive state? Let’s take a closer look at a few:

  • Maintaining collaborating physicians: If you’re a PMHNP working in a state that requires a collaborating physician, you understand there’s always a chance they might suddenly be unable to provide oversight that would allow you to practice at the top of your license – and leaving patients without access to proper care. In some cases, finding a new collaborating physician can take months.
  • Minimal patient resources: In certain states, there are more restrictions and fewer resources for patients. These limitations can keep a provider from practicing to the full extent of their license and inhibit their ability to do more for patients.
  • Potential for burnout: Working on-site in a restrictive state can be bad for morale. While the goal is to provide the best possible patient care, some patients may have little to no options based on state restrictions.

Practicing behavioral health remotely removes the limitations placed on providers based on where they live. For example, if you live in a state with a highly restricted practice environment, telemental health allows you to live where you want and still have autonomous practice, without the need of a supervising or collaborating physician. Additionally, when working with an organization like Iris Telehealth, you’re ensured a collaborating physician if necessary.

Along with these benefits, it can also help you work with a population you love.

Help the population you love without limitations

As a behavioral health provider, you’ve likely spent a lot of time figuring out what population you wanted to work with. However, depending on where you live, making the most of your education and providing care to the specific population you love might not always be an option. Remote behavioral health work makes it possible for you to work with the communities you’ve always wanted to impact, regardless of where you or your patients are in the country.

Additionally, some organizations, like Iris Telehealth, offer job matching services that keep your clinical preferences in mind, letting you choose what population you want to work with and whether or not you want to work in an autonomous state. So you don’t have to choose between working with the communities you love and working at the top of your license.

Want to learn more about the job matching process? Check out our guide for all the details!

Gain more support for top of license work

Working in telemental health can help eliminate everyday tasks that keep you from working at the top of your license and give you a leg up in areas that will help support your practice. Here’s how:

  • Care team collaboration: Having a care team of professionals you can lean on for expertise is essential. At Iris, our provider network is expansive and creates a resource for advice and support. This access to other psychiatrists, case managers, and social workers ensures you always have the support you need and lets you focus on appointments and follow-ups. It also means you don’t have to worry about other tasks that fall outside your scope.
  • Less admin work: Licensing and credentialing takes a lot of time and attention. That’s why working with an organization that takes care of that process is highly beneficial. At Iris, we help our providers get licensed in the states where they want to work and take care of all the tedious parts of that process. That way, you can focus on what they do best – providing quality patient care.
  • Diversify your skill set: When you work remotely, you can work with populations you may not have had the opportunity to work with otherwise. This access gives you more diversity in your patient panel work, allowing you to tap into different demographics and expand your knowledge and skill set.
  • Connect with top organizations: When working with a telehealth solution like Iris, you can trust that you’re getting connected with the leading organizations in the country. We ensure all our partner organizations are aligned with our standards for appointment times, have thought through how telehealth will work for them, and will support our providers.

Additionally, if the organization is strictly remote, we ensure they’ve thought through how their patients will get things like vitals and weight measured if they’re being seen from home, what their route to care will be like, and have whatever they need for appointments.

Where Iris Telehealth fits in

At Iris, we believe that our providers should be celebrated and applauded for the work they do. If you’re an LCSW, PMHNP, or psychiatrist interested in telemental health work, contact us today.

Telepsych 101: Commonly asked questions about becoming a telemental health provider

Remote behavioral health work has many benefits, like flexible schedules, self-care opportunities, and no commute, leaving you with more time to do the things you love. Remote behavioral health work, like telepsychiatry, offers psychiatrists, LCSWs, and PMHNPs the chance to make a real impact on the communities they love, from wherever they are in the country.

But what does a career in telehealth look like? We’re breaking down all the commonly asked questions providers have as they get started in their telehealth careers. Keep reading to learn what documentation in a virtual space looks like, how telehealth can help you meet your clinical preferences, and how working with the right organization can help you streamline the licensing and credentialing process.

1. What does documentation look like in a virtual environment?

The type of electronic medical records (EMR) an organization uses varies site-to-site. But, regardless of what kind of documentation they’re using, you should have support and training that sets you up for success. When looking for a telepsychiatry provider to work for, ensuring they can provide top-notch support is essential.

At Iris Telehealth, we ensure you have a telepsych champion on-site at the healthcare organization where you’re placed to help answer any questions you may have. We also provide ample training and support to ensure you feel confident and comfortable with your EMR.

Additionally, as a behavioral health provider, you’ve likely used several EMRs before and may have preferences for which ones you like using the most. Your experiences matter, and at Iris we take them into account when matching you with the right organization.

To learn more about this topic, check out our EMR best practices for remote providers blog.

2. How does telepsychiatry meet provider preferences?

Good conversations upfront are critical to ensuring an excellent organizational match. And, if the telehealth company you’re interviewing for isn’t getting to know your needs, it’s likely a red flag. Considering what your dream job looks like, determining your negotiables, and defining your deal breakers are all things you should be having conversations about before getting placed at a new clinic.

At Iris, we get to know provider preferences by asking about the days they’d like to work, their time zones, their preferred setting, and what population they want to work with. We also want to know how much time our providers want for documentation and notes.

We know from experience that when our providers are happy and have found a healthcare organization that meets your clinical preferences, patients get higher quality care. So, ensuring you’re working with an organization that keeps all your wants, needs, and considerations in mind is critical.

3. What does remote work look like?

Flexibility is one of the most significant benefits of working remotely. Stepping outside after a long session, cutting out your daily commute, and having more time for family and friends are all things remote work can provide.

As a remote behavioral health provider, you may be working in one state and remoting into another. That’s what makes the clinical environment so important.

At Iris, placing you somewhere you love is our priority. If you want to work in a state where you’re not licensed, Iris will cover the costs and provide the support you need to work where you love.

4. As a PMHNP, will I be provided with medical supervision?

Working with a telehealth provider that’s got your back with all the support you need is essential. That might take shape by way of a top-notch IT team, supportive supervisors, and help with paperwork. For PMHNPs, it also means making sure you’ve got medical collaboration in states where it’s required. At Iris, we ensure you’ve got a collaborating physician (usually another Iris provider).

5. What does the licensing and credentialing look like for teleheatlh?

Going through the process of licensing and credentialing can be challenging. That’s why working with a telehealth organization that does the lion’s share of the work can be a game changer.

At Iris, we take care of that process for you. We gather all the needed information, like fingerprints and documents, to licensing and credentialing as easy for you as possible. While the licensing and credentialing timeline is variable, once you’ve determined the healthcare organization you want to work with, we lay out all relevant timelines so you’ll know what to expect.

Get started in telehealth today

Whether you’re considering telehealth for the first time or just getting started in your career, Iris is here to help you get started. If you’re looking for more information about a job at Iris, check out this recording of our recent virtual career fair. If you’d like to chat with someone at Iris, contact us today.

How ED Telehealth Improves Access and Patient Satisfaction

Is your emergency department (ED) becoming the go-to for behavioral health patients because your psychiatry unit is under too much pressure?

If so, you’re not alone.

The United States is experiencing a shortage of psychiatrists and mental health providers — and it’s not expected to get better. Community and inpatient resources for mental health care are dwindling. With fewer providers, appointments, and specialized psychiatric facilities available, more and more behavioral health patients are coming to the ED as a last resort.

This mental health crisis can have big implications for your health system, including:

  • Increased length of stay
  • Higher admission and transfer rates
  • Long wait times
  • Poor patient satisfaction

In this post, we’ll share how you can improve patient satisfaction by implementing an emergency department (ED) telehealth program, increase access to care, and integrate solutions like telepsychiatry across departments. We’ll also discuss three things you can consider when implementing telepsychiatry for your health systems or hospitals.

ED telehealth services improve patient satisfaction and access

ED telehealth services like telepsychiatry allow hospitals to give patients faster access to high-quality psychiatric care through a virtual visit. This level of access means behavioral health patients don’t have to wait for hours to receive treatment from their ED physician. In addition, they can bypass an in-person consultation from a psychiatric provider, which can mean a shorter length of stay in the ED.

One study even found that a virtual visit conducted in the ED lasted 30-45 minutes — in stark contrast to traditional in-person ED visits, which can take 2 to 2.5 hours.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, patients have increasingly welcomed telemedicine into their healthcare journey as they seek more convenience and partnership with their healthcare providers. A study published in 2021 found that around 82% of respondents considered a virtual visit as good as an in-person visit by a clinician.

That means ED telehealth providers can offer a more comfortable, high-quality, and efficient ED experience for patients experiencing critical mental health conditions.

Telehealth services increase hospital discharge and follow-up rates

Studies have found that EDs that don’t use ED telehealth services like telepsychiatry are three times more likely to have used observation services to reduce ED crowding. However, these observation services often result in high admission and transfer rates.

Observation services can also prove costly because they often require an investment in additional staffing. To make matters worse, many hospitals and health systems struggle to meet Medicare’s requirement to follow up with behavioral health patients within seven days of discharge.

The current approach to behavioral health management is not sustainable given an evolving healthcare landscape that’s more focused on value than on the number of services provided.

ED telehealth services improve patient outcomes and reduce use of limited resources

For example, Iris Telehealth provides hospitals and health systems with highly qualified psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners who can support your ED by:

  • Assessing whether the hospital can discharge a patient instead of admitting or transferring them.
  • Starting treatment during a visit so the patient doesn’t have to wait for an in-person psychiatric consultation or follow-up visit.
  • Providing follow-ups for patients discharged from the hospital, thus ensuring continuity of care and Medicare compliance.

With a telepsychiatry vendor supporting your ED care team, patients are more likely to receive specialized, appropriate, and efficient care. This optimized care frees up more ED and inpatient beds for patients with medical or surgical issues. As a result, hospitals and health systems save more on costs due to reduced boarding times as well as lower admission and transfer rates.

While telepsychiatry can positively impact behavioral health patients in the ED, hospitals and health systems can also leverage the service in other patient care areas.

The future of telehealth in the ED

As patient needs grow more complex, we’re discovering opportunities for services like telepsychiatry in other departments besides the ED.

Aside from incorporating virtual care services into their inpatient psychiatric wards, health systems can expand telepsychiatry in palliative and hospice care. In these departments, patients and caregivers may need substantial behavioral health support to manage anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns.

At the end of the day, targeted, comprehensive care will be crucial to boosting patient outcomes and hospital revenue.

Incorporating telepsychiatry into your hospital or health system

If you’re interested in implementing a telepsychiatry program to support behavioral health patients, know that the most crucial step is choosing a telepsychiatry vendor you trust.
Here are three major factors you should consider:

  1. Technology: As with all changes to hospital culture, hospital staff may seem reluctant to accept a new telepsychiatry platform. For this reason, many of our partners have seen value in the fact that we are technology-neutral. Our providers can work with your electronic health record or telehealth platform, so your staff doesn’t have to worry about learning how to use a brand new platform.
  2. Regulatory Standards: The telehealth boom has triggered regulatory changes that carry various implications on billing, risk management, and consenting practices, to name a few. It’s important to partner with a vendor who is knowledgeable about these changes to help ensure compliance and maximize reimbursement from payers.
  3. Goal Commitment: Whether your goals are decreasing ED wait times, increasing patient satisfaction, or spending less money on observation services, you need a consistent partner you can trust to achieve them.

If you partner with Iris Telehealth, you’ll receive access to a dedicated telepsychiatry care team that’s committed to your hospital or health system’s vision for behavioral health services.

We’ll help you develop realistic goals along with an action plan to implement your telepsychiatry program properly. You can also count on us to effectively and quickly remedy challenges that may arise during implementation (e.g., staff acceptance, technical issues).

Building a successful telepsychiatry program can seem overwhelming. But we’re here to make the process more manageable and less stressful. Contact us — we’ll provide the information your hospital or health system needs to reshape the future of behavioral health care.